News Release

UPMC NORTHWEST TO BEGIN
PROVIDING CARE IN NEW HOSPITAL

Oct. 5, 2004 — On Friday, Oct. 8, UPMC Northwest will begin providing patient care in its new hospital in Seneca. Friday will include the transfer of all remaining inpatients from the hospital’s Franklin campus to the new hospital, the opening of the new hospital Emergency Department, and the permanent closing of the Emergency Department and other facilities in the main building at the Franklin campus.

Because Friday’s patient relocation and related activities are a sizable undertaking that may take much of the day, UPMC Northwest is requesting that area residents refrain from using either the Franklin or Seneca facilities on Friday unless they need emergency medical care.

Here’s what will occur on Friday:

At 6:30 am, UPMC Northwest will begin the transfer of all remaining inpatients from the Franklin campus to the new hospital.

UPMC Northwest will accomplish this relocation through its established transfer procedures that ensure the safety and security of all patients, according to President Neil Todhunter. Inpatients and their families will receive more information and instructions before Friday’s relocation.

The relocation will include two pre-transfer medical evaluations of all inpatients (on their nursing units and in the Franklin campus Emergency Department), transport via Community Ambulance Service (CAS) to the new hospital, reevaluation in the new hospital Emergency Department, and admission to the new hospital inpatient units.

To further ensure patient safety, UPMC Northwest nurses will accompany all ICU, Telemetry, OB and other patients who may require nursing care while being transferred, says Doug Frankenburg, the hospital’s vice president of clinical affairs, who will coordinate the patient relocation.

Emergency vehicles from local fire departments may make transports when CAS is summoned to emergencies during the relocation.

“Our goal is to safely relocate every patient and to make the transfer process as smooth as possible for patients and their families,” Todhunter says.

Also at 6:30 am, the hospital will permanently close the Franklin campus Emergency Department and simultaneously open the new hospital Emergency Department.

The Emergency Department in Franklin will remain open around the clock until 6:30 am Friday. After 6:30 am Friday, all patients who need emergency care should report to the new hospital Emergency Department.

The new Emergency Department has a covered entrance where walk-in patients can be dropped off to go directly into the department, and there’s plenty of free parking nearby.

The patient entrance is clearly marked with a lighted red “Emergency” sign on the left (west) side of the hospital. The sign immediately in front of the hospital (at the stop sign on Fairfield Drive) provides directions to the Emergency Department when patients arrive at the site.

In preparation for opening the new hospital Emergency Department, UPMC Northwest closed its Oil City campus ImmediaCare unit last Thursday, and it is providing all emergency care at the Franklin campus until the new hospital Emergency Department opens Friday morning.

Except for the early morning hours when the Emergency Department is open, there will be no services at the Franklin campus on Friday, and no visitation. Visitation in Franklin will conclude at 8 pm Thursday.

There will be visitation at the new hospital on Friday until all transferred patients have been admitted. It is anticipated that the transfer and admission process will conclude by late afternoon or early evening. Family representatives will be notified when their family member has been admitted and when visitation resumes.

There will be no elective testing at either the Franklin campus or the new hospital on Friday, Oct. 8. Patients who have physicians’ orders for blood tests, x-rays or other procedures can obtain them at the Franklin campus by Thursday, Oct. 7, or at the new hospital on or after Monday, Oct. 11. For patients’ convenience, UPMC Northwest also has several sites where outpatients may have blood drawn for tests.

When UPMC Northwest completes the transfer of inpatients from Franklin on Friday, it will permanently close the main building at the Franklin campus. Some services will remain in the west unit at Franklin.

“Transferring patients and admitting them safely to the new hospital will be our primary focus on Friday, and we’re going to devote most of our resources to this effort and to providing emergency care,” Todhunter said. “For this one day, when we essentially are shifting most of our patient care operations to the new hospital, we’re asking the community to help us out by not coming to our Franklin or Seneca facilities unless they need emergency medical care or they’re visiting a family member when visitation begins. We hope to start visitation later Friday after we finish admitting all transferred patients.”

Todhunter said the new hospital “equips us better than ever to meet our patients’ health care needs, and we’re eager to begin providing care here.”

The new hospital will be open Saturday and Sunday for weekend functions, and will begin routine weekday operations on Monday, Oct. 11.